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Tuesday, April 11, 2017

Queens of the Apocalypse by Rob Rosen (#drag #horror #humor #romance)

Proving that the end of the world need not necessarily be drab - it can, in fact, can be rather fab! - Queens of the Apocalypse is a funny, fantastic journey that is as stylish as it is satisfying. Rob Rosen takes drag queens, zombies, gay romance, and a military conspiracy, dresses them all up in a post-apocalyptic road-trip, and proudly struts out a story that gives new meaning to the term 'fierce.'

The drag queen element, not surprisingly, is the highlight here. Destiny, Blondella, Kit, and Creature are four of the most fantastic queens to ever strap on a pair of impossible heels, designer gowns, heavy makeup, and enough hairspray to bring about the apocalypse with flair - if solar flares and zombies did not beat them to it. The world may have come to an end, with man-eating zombies around every corner, but that does not stop these queens from reading one another with every breath. In fact, not even death can stop them, as evidenced by Creature - the fiercest, most fabulous, shambling, monosyllabic zombie you have ever met.

Accompanying them on their journey are two handsome gay men - brave, smart, and as fiercely loyal as the queens are loyally fierce. They bring an element of romance to the story, adding some love to the laughs, and heart to the humanity. That is not to say the whole story is just a romantic farce, not by any means. There is some real horror here, genuine sorrow, and incredible action, all of which balance out the lighter aspects. As for the zombies, they are vintage throwbacks to the era of George A. Romero, slow-moving, insatiably hungry, and completely unstoppable. They do prove to have an Achilles heel, however, allowing Creature to become one of the most unique heroes in post-apocalyptic fiction, I will refrain from saying more, as that weakness plays into the story's climax, but it is rather clever.